Spark Architects

The Challenge

Before adopting Coretime, Spark Architects relied on manual time‑tracking processes that made it difficult to capture all hours worked across design phases, non‑billable activities, fee proposals, revisions and reporting requirements. This made it harder for the practice to:

• Track non‑billable work such as fee proposals and design revisions
• Monitor outstanding invoices versus paid amounts
• Understand budget versus actual hours across projects
• Review profitability at both the overall project level and by RIBA stages

The practice needed a solution that could handle these tasks easily, give accurate insight into project profitability and reduce administrative burden on staff.

The Coretime Solution

Spark Architects implemented Coretime to unify timesheet entry, project tracking and financial visibility. Coretime’s platform gave the practice:

• Accessible timesheet entry for all staff so time could be logged consistently and in real time.
• Centralised project and budget visibility, enabling clearer understanding of how time was spent and billed.
• Financial insight tools, helping track paid versus unpaid invoices and monitor performance across different project stages.
• Reduced administrative effort, with simplified reporting that supports faster responses to internal review and client enquiries.

These capabilities helped Spark Architects standardise workflow, reduce time lost in manual reconciliation, and gain meaningful insight into how work is performed and billed.

Implementation

The transition to Coretime was handled with clear planning and support.

Key steps included:

1. Data migration of existing timesheet and project records into Coretime.
2. Configuration of project structures and RIBA stages relevant to Spark’s workflows.
3. Training and onboarding to ensure a smooth move from manual entry to standardised timesheet and budgeting practices.
4. Review and refinement of dashboards and reports based on early usage to match real business needs.

This structured approach ensured early adoption and allowed project leads to start using the system effectively from day one.

Results

Since adopting Coretime, Spark Architects has realised a range of operational improvements:

• Consistent tracking of all work types, including non‑billable activities.
• Better visibility into financial performance, helping guide scheduling and resource allocation.
• Faster analysis of outstanding versus paid invoices, reducing admin time and improving cash‑flow insight.
• Enhanced ability to understand project profitability, both overall and by RIBA stage, to inform strategic decisions.

These results have supported Spark Architects’ efforts to run projects more efficiently while keeping teams aligned on both creative delivery and business outcomes.

Looking Ahead

With Coretime now embedded in daily operations, Spark Architects is well placed to refine project cost control, improve forecasting, and scale its practice with confidence. The platform’s visibility and reporting capabilities enable the firm to grow without sacrificing control over time, billing and profitability.